The Gills completed their Totesport.com Combination fixtures for this season, and the forseeable future, with a battling goalless draw in West Sussex this afternoon.
Boss Andy Hessenthaler named a young inexperienced side, a mixture of first and second years scholars plus a trialist and one of the up and coming Under-16 group.
Ashley Miller was the lone striker, five midfielders compacted the middle of the park while at the back the whole rearguard defended like Trojans led by skipper Callum Davies and Jack Evans. They looked to play from the back at every opportunity and some of their passing and movement was pretty slick. While behind them keeper Daren Hawkes made a number of fine saves when called upon.
They were up against a strong Crawley line-up which included eight of the first-team squad which has won promotion from the Blue Square Bet Premier this season.
It was the Gills that had the first chance of the game in the 14th minute when George Humber's strong run forward ended with a decent strike that forced a low save from Nick Jordan.
Jamie Cook, formerly with Oxford United was a constant threat for the Red Devils, he forced a save from Hawkes with an attempted chip, then volleyed wide before Davies denied him another opportunity with a brilliantly timed sliding challenge.
Bradley Dack fired a fierce effort straight at the keeper as the Gills got forward but then at the other end Hawkes helped over a curling free-kick from William Gibson before Wade Eason somehow scooped a shot over the top from around three yards out.
Hawkes made another decent stop to deny Trevor McCreadie but things got even better for him, who was one of five to be offered professional terms 24-hours earlier, when Crawley were harshly awarded a penalty in the 55th minute following a slight nudge from behind by Alex Brown on Simon Rusk. Hawkes guessed right, dived right and turned aside Cook's well-struck spot-kick.
Evans failed to hit the target with a couple of long range free-kicks before Dack tried his luck from the next one and forced a save out of Jordan.
A double substitution in the 70th minute saw a defensive reshuffle with Josh Hare and youngster Stephen Butcher replacing Matt Pooley and Jack Parter. Under-16 took the right-back berth and looked comfortable, Hare went alongside Davies in central defence while Evans went to left-back.
Hawkes made another save, tipping over a Gibson strike, and Cook smacked another chance wide before the Gills had the final chance, Evans firing wide after Miller, Evans himself and Tom Brunt had created the opening.
Crawley: Jordan, Hall, Rusk, Wilson (McCreadie H/T), Dempster, Wassmer (Baker H/T), Gibson (Cooper 79), Napper, Eason, Cook, Brewer. Unused sub: Dodd
Gillingham: Hawkes, Pooley (Butcher 70), Parter (Hare 70), Brunt, Evans, Davies, Humber (Nyafli 60), A Brown, Miller, Hessenthaler, Dack. Unused subs: Mackenzie, Bourne
